Nissanka leads Kandy to table top

Wanuja Sahan 59 and match bag of seven wickets for Kandy        

• Galle gives defending champs Dambulla a second scare

By Saadi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka white ball opener Pathum Nissanka hit a sterling century (151 off 186 balls, 21 fours, 1 six) and former Sri Lanka Under-19 cricketer Wanuja Sahan scored a fifty and captured seven wickets in the match with his left-arm spin to help Kandy beat Colombo by seven wickets at the R. Premadasa Stadium and go top of the National Super League 4-day tournament table.

Colombo gained a first innings lead of 57 but collapsed in their second innings for 102 to the spin of Sahan and Ashian Daniel leaving Kandy with the task of 160 for victory which they achieved losing three wickets.

For the second successive weekend defending champions Dambulla found themselves at the receiving end. On this occasion it was against bottom of the table Galle who hammered the Dambulla bowling to the tune of 519-7 declared and then forced them to follow-on after dismissing them for 269 in the first innings. Dambulla struggled to 253-7 in their second innings to draw the match.  Oshada Fernando and Pasindu Sooriyabandara struck delightful centuries to enable Galle to put up a massive total on the board, after which spinners Nishan Peiris (match bag of 8/146) and Nimesh Vimukthi (7/136) took control of the Dambulla batting. 

RESULTS:

At R. Premadasa Stadium: Kandy beat Colombo by 7 wickets.

Colombo 377 (Krishan Sanjula 31, Nipun Dananjaya 56, Nuwanidu Fernando 46, Himasha Liyanage 20, Pathum Kumara 101, Lakshitha Manasinghe 79, Sithum Dissanayake 2/78, Nimsara Atharagalla 2/72, Wanuja Sahan 3/88, Ashian Daniel 2/81) and 102 (Chamindu Wickramasinghe 22, Lakshitha Manasinghe 29, Isitha Wijesundara 26, Nimsara Atharagalla 2/26, Wanuja Sahan 4/45, Ashian Daniel 3/27)

Kandy 320-9 decl. (Pathum Nissanka 151, Kasun Vidura 33, Ahan Wickramasinghe 21, Wanuja Sahan 59, Nisala Tharaka 2/83, Nuwanidu Fernando 3/26) and 160-3 (Pathum Nissanka 29, Kasun Vidura 76*, Kamil Mishara 22, Sahan Arachchige 21*)

At Hambantota: Match Drawn. (Galle won on first innings)

Galle 519-7 decl. (Oshada Fernando 127, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 148, Lakshan Edirisinghe 78, Mohammed Shamaaz 46, Dhananjaya Lakshan 69, Nimesh Vimukthi 26*, Chamindu Wijesinghe 3/70)

Dambulla 269 (Ranesh Silva 33, Sanoj Darshika 63, Minod Bhanuka 56, Pavan Ratnayake 63, Nishan Peiris 5/72, Nimesh Vimukthi 4/48) and 253-7 (Ranesh Silva 26, Sanoj Darshika 58, Minod Bhanuka 20, Sonal Dinusha 67, Dushan Hemantha 27, Nimesh Vimukthi 3/88, Nishan Peiris 3/74)